The Darkest Hour
by Incarnate Firefly
Summary: A heresy has been committed in the Covenant. And Autel 'Vadam, a young Sangheili warrior-in-training, is one of the few who can do something about it. He must escape his former home that Tartarus' Brutes have turned into a prison, and warn the Arbiter of the events before Sanghelios is lost to their greatest rivals.
1. Prologue

**Time 7:54:29 (Accuracy 1/10 to that of Forerunner), eighteenth sunrise shift of the first month (Sanghelios Time Unit), 8th Age of Reclamation (Covenant Time Unit, based on Forerunner Time Unit)**

******0450 Hours, December 16, 2548 (UNSC Military Calendar)**

**Location:** State of Vadam, Yermo, Sanghelios

•••

The Vadam Keep was not as glorious in appearance as it was in reputation for renown. It was not a place of best comfort, or a well-defended estate by means of design or security. Its physical condition was far below the glory that the Vadam family had earned through the ages.

_We are not to be judged by such simplistic things,_ Autel 'Vadam thought as he trudged down the staircase. _A warrior earns his own glory. I do not believe in following my family's legacy and living in their collective reputation. I believe in making my own._

Indeed, the Vadam family was well known for its individuals who were distinguished for their accomplishments and lofty titles. Back in the Age of Reconciliation, Arbiter Ther 'Vadam led the armadas that hunted down the Evaniptii to near extinction after they spread lies about the Halo rings. The revered Covenant Fleet of Particular Justice was led by the legendary Thel 'Vadamee, and not even the San'Shyuum had been able to erase them back in the days when they fought wars against the Sangheili. Having recently graduated from the military academy, Autel had yet to join the ranks in the Covenant to earn his honour and glory. But this did not concern him greatly. _I will leave my own stories in time to be remembered._

Grasping his belongings, Autel opened the doors and stepped out of the keep. Taking in the breathtaking view of the Kolaar mountains that concealed the Vadam Keep, he could see the first sun rising over the distant horizon. The State of Vadam was below the mountains, where the non-military Sangheili and the females lived. And on the other side of the mountain range were neighbouring states, bays, and oceans that lined the countryside. He remembered taking in the view many times in his childhood, and it was still as spectacular as it always had been. His mentors had taught him to observe his surroundings, not just to see it, but to fully appreciate it. It would be a long time before he would stand here again, gazing across the land to watch the sunrise.

"Autel!" someone called. He turned towards the voice, and saw two Sangheili standing at the top of the path that wound from the Vadam Keep into the state. One of them was Lak 'Vadamee, an elder Sangheili who was a very powerful warrior back in his day. The other, younger than his companion but still seasoned, wore a set of golden armour that glinted in the rays of the sun. Autel held back a gasp when he realized who it was. Unmistakably, the person standing before him was Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee! What brought him here?

"The Kaidon has agreed to escort you for your departure, Autel," Lak explained. Autel was speechless for a moment, unsure whether he should say something. Then he remembered to be respectful, and clenched his fist, set it over his own chest, and bowed his head. "Your presence is an honour, Kaidon," he said. It was odd. Thel must be extremely busy, what was he doing at the Keep? Nonetheless, it would sound impolite, even downright impudent, to question him about such a matter. Thel gave a curt nod, and said, "Come," and began walking down the path. Autel looked back at Lak, who said, "Until we meet again."

"And the Journey shall reunite us if otherwise," Autel replied, hurrying down the path after Thel.

As the estate faded out of sight and the young Sangheili descended the mountain, the only sounds were the rustling of the thickening forest and the light thuds of Thel's footfalls. Autel walked up beside him, trying to read the warrior's expressionless face. The Supreme Commander's dark eyes glinted with the shafts of sunlight that peeked through the lush leaves, but he remained silent and impassive.

Finally, after almost reaching the outskirts of the state, they stepped onto a narrow path that split off from the mountain's main ridge. Thel said, "There is someone we will see before we leave the state."

"Who is it, Excellency?" Autel enquired, careful to be respectful.

"The Seer of Sanghelios."

The Seer of Sanghelios lived in the State of Vadam. She lived alone like all females of the Sangheili, but preferring the solitude of the Kolaar mountains, she was particularly isolated. The Seer could predict the most obscure things, and determine outcomes of an event long before anyone would even know of its beginning. Disconcertingly enough, she always right, even if it wasn't in the way most expected. She preferred to be discreet, however, and her subtlety was something not many could fathom. "You cannot become dependent on my vision," the Seer had said to many who asked her for advice, "You must rely upon your own." _Wisely stated_, Autel thought. Strangely, the Seer was also his mother.

Autel had wondered why he was not dark-skinned like the rest of his species. It may have had something to do with the Seer, but she had never spoken of it. When he asked, she had replied, "You are what was meant to be. Do not become discontent with the way of things."

Thel stopped at an ancient, low-roofed cabin, and gently pushed open the door. As he stepped inside, Autel followed, squinting to see into the almost windowless room.

Close by, a light suddenly flickered and formed a bright ball. A short female Sangheili with dull but watchful eyes held a candle in her long fingers, standing next to Thel. The light was reflected on his armour and in the Seer's pupils.

The Seer wasn't particularly aged, but her isolation had not kept her healthy. Her eyes and skin was a lighter shade of grey than most, her clothing was old and tattered, and her voice was slightly raspy. A mark was branded above her collarbone: two opposing arcs, with three overlapping circles and a dash through them. Autel recognized it as a mark of mating. Her spouse would bear the same mark upon his skin. "You have come," she whispered.

If Thel was spooked by her behaviour, he gave no sign of it. "Yes," he said, "but our time is scarce. So do not hold us up."

Autel had rarely entered the Seer's quarters, and was slightly unnerved by its appearance. Sanghelios did not lack technology, but he could see that she had not cared for light simulators, and opted for candles instead. The only room was cramped, and he could not identify the few objects he could see.

"If you would wait outside, Supreme Commander," she said. Thel nodded, and stepped out, shutting the door with a creak.

"Autel," the Seer whispered. "You are to become one of the Covenant."

"Yes," the young Sangheili said. Most of his kind didn't know their mothers very well, but he found it especially difficult to know what to think of her. She was strange, of course, but when thinking about her, he found that he saw her not as a mother, but someone he merely knew of no more than anyone else did.

"What are your feelings upon this phase in your life?"

Autel was silent. He did not expect a Seer to ask him of his feelings.

"Are you eager to prove yourself? To become a warrior to create his legacy, unforgotten for eons?"

"I wish to serve loyally, and to find the Path," Autel replied. "It would satisfy me to bring salvation to the Covenant."

The Seer sighed. "The Path...the Great Journey...such promises. The San'Shyuum judge upon the physical creations of the Forerunners. I hold no such hope for them in my heart."

Autel knew of the Seer's scepticism of the Journey, and had a member of the Covenant repeated her words, they would have been punished for their heresy.

"Be wary, my child," she said, "the Covenant have fought the humans throughout the Age of Reclamation, and none of us have seen why." The female Sangheili's eyes flashed with a startling brightness, and she spoke as if in a trance. "There is treachery among the Hierarchs...one who seeks power over the others...he will turn his back upon them when his Path is clear to him...his secrets are dark..." The Seer blinked, gazing at the astonished Autel. _She has spoken ill of the Hierarchs! What does this mean?_ He could not believe that the High Prophets would be treacherous, but he could not doubt the Seer either. Hesitantly, he asked, "What else do you see?"

The Seer closed her eyes. "There will be betrayal within the Covenant. Calamity will strike Sanghelios. You will meet your closest ally, who will not fight alongside you when you are needed most." Autel had not expected her to suddenly speak of him, but when she had said was no less surprising.

Sunlight filled the room as Thel entered. "We must go," he said.

_Calamity will strike Sanghelios..._

Autel moved to leave, then looked back at the Seer. "Will I see you again?"

_Calamity..._

He could have sworn she appeared hesitant for a moment, but she said, "Yes." Autel considered asking her if something was wrong, but decided not to. All the same, he wondered if she was hiding something. But Seers could not lie, and before he could say anything, she slipped something into his hand. He stepped outside, awkwardly saying, "Goodbye." She did not believe in the Great Journey, so it would have been an insult to speak of it to her as he left. Still, the young Sangheili wondered if she had known something he didn't.

_Then again, that is what makes Seers so extraordinary,_ he thought, and decided not to dwell on it too much.


	2. Stoic Courier

**Time 7:45:06:33 (Accuracy 1/10 to that of Forerunner), eighteenth sunrise shift of the first month (Sanghelios Time Unit), 8th Age of Reclamation (Covenant Time Unit, based on Forerunner Time Unit)**

******0520 Hours, December 16, 2548 (UNSC Military Calendar)**

**Location:** State of Vadam, Yermo, Sanghelios

•••

Thel did not ask Autel what the Seer had told him. But as they approached the outskirts where the State of Vadam bordered three other states, he asked, "What has she given you?"

The younger Sangheili opened his hand. It was a thin metal ring, but with an energy stasis field where the jewel would be. Contained inside was some glowing, unshaped plasma.

"You are to keep it with you at all times," the Supreme Commander said. "The Seer has reasons to place that in your possession." Absently, Autel slipped it onto his finger. Thel continued to gaze at the ring. "What is our purpose, as Sangheili, in the Covenant?"

Autel was suprised at the sudden question, but replied, "To protect the Prophets as they find the Path. To be faithful and to serve with conviction."

"Perhaps," Thel said, "but there is more. There may be...complications. Our Covenant does not always stand together."

"Are you referring to the Age of Conflict, Excellency?" During the time the Sangheili had fought a bloody war against the San'Shyuum. Both races had believed in the Great Journey, but went through different means to find it. Differences had turned into hatred, and many had died before the two species had decided to form a Covenant.

But Thel shook his head. "Even now, we are still not as we ought to be. And I have held onto secrets that I could never forget." The Supreme Commander looked away. "There are those in the Covenant who would give their lives," he said softly. "For honour; for the Great Journey; for everything they fight for. But sometimes, we bring ourselves too eagerly to death. We do not see what many have been blinded by. Sometimes, we must cast aside our honour to live another day. For the Covenant may need us when the time comes, and if our true purpose is to serve, then we must play our part, vow to give up our honour, for the sake and future of the Covenant."

"Why are you telling me this, Excellency?" Autel couldn't help but be reminded of the Seer's words.

Thel blinked, and looked back to the young Sangheili. "We are honourable. Our many traditions have shamed us, and given us distinction. We have looked death in the eyes, and we have been unafraid of it. And it is considered dishonourable to place our own lives before the Covenant. I had always thought of this as true, but recently..." he sighed. "Come."

Autel realized that they were standing in front of a Covenant dropship. Its hatches were open, and some Sangheili were already waiting to its seats.

The pilot bowed his head when he saw Thel. The Supreme Commander strapped himself to a seat, and Autel did likewise next to him.

A pair of Sangheili joined them, occupying the last two seats, and the pilot closed the hatches, and activated the antigravity field located between the dropship's twin bows. The aircraft hummed as it lifted off into the sky.

Autel looked out through the crack where the hatch met the hull. Other dropships were flying around as well, but their destinations were obvious. The mobile military city called _Stoic Courier_, where Sangheili would train before becoming part of the Covenant.

The structure was attached to an even larger city, the legendary Covenant capital _High Charity_, where the San'Shyuum resided. Numerous warships were clustered there, and in the centre was the flagship _Seeker of Truth_. These vessels were no other than the Fleet of Particular Justice, led by Thel 'Vadamee. So it wasn't just the Supreme Commander who was present, his entire fleet was here!

Sanghelios (bottom left), with orbiting moons Suban and Qikost. _Stoic Courier_ is hovering not far off (top right).

The other Sangheili aboard the dropship were just as awed, watching the massive group of ships clustered there. As the pilot flew them into a hangar of _Stoic Courier_ and opened the hatches, Thel said, "Come." Autel felt the energy straps binding him to his seat deactivate, and he stepped down the dropship's curved hatches.

There were three other dropships inside the hangar bay, with recruits piling out. They were all grouping where a large plasma screen was displayed over the entire wall.

"Find where your dormitory is," Thel told him. "I shall have a word with the Field Master before I depart."

Autel had heard that the Sangheili in charge of _Stoic Courier_ was Field Master Bata 'Noromee, a powerful but reckless warrior. He had won many victories in the field, but also compromised the lives of his troops for the sake of victory. 'Noromee had been reassigned, _personally_ by the Prophets, and placed in charge of the training of Sangheili on _Stoic Courier_.

"I thank you for your presence," Autel said, bowing his head, "I am honoured."

Thel nodded, and clenched a fist to his own chest. "I wish you well."

Autel watched him walking off into the main facility, and felt slightly apprehensive.

_Betrayal...calamity..._

The young Sangheili shook his head and approached the crowd of recruits. Some stared at him with suspicion, interest, and fear, but he ignored them. His sharp eyes quickly spotted his name on the giant roster. Dormitory 774-C. Beside the list of -A to -F was a map showing the way to Dormitory 774. Autel quickly memorised the route and looked around at the many doors in the hangar. Each had a pair of Sangheili sentries guarding it. As the dropships departed and more entered, some recruits were heading for the various doors. One of them had "762-778" in glowing words hovering above it, and Autel entered through it.

It didn't take long to find Dormitory 774. All 16 of them were adjacent in a long hallway. As he stepped into a smaller hall, he saw that none of the other recruits assigned to Dormitory 774 were here yet. As he looked for the sixth room, the door to the main hall opened, and another Sangheili entered. He did not give Autel a strange look, but rather said, "Greetings."

"Greetings," he replied.

The doors opened again before they could continue to speak, and the Sangheili nodded and entered his dormitory, 774-F. Autel opened his own door and looked around.

It was a single room, with a few objects. A bed was at the far end, and a table with a single chair. Autel opened his belongings and found his uniform. He was adjusting his boots when there was a knocking on the door.

"Enter," he said. The doors slid open, and the Sangheili he had spoken to walked in. His uniform was already on.

Autel activated the energy generators on the chair and offered it to him.

"Thank you," the Sangheili said, sitting down. "I am Fira, of the State of Demal."

"I am Autel, of the State of Vadam."

Fira looked amazed. "Vadam? You are in the same family tree as Thel 'Vadamee?"

"Yes," Autel said. "Although how I am related to him is unknown."

"My family is not currently very active in the Covenant. My only known relative who is part of the military is Sona 'Demalee. But during the Age of Doubt, there were many of our line whom had fought against the humans."

"What had happened to them?"

"They had died out," Fira said, "They were killed during the many ground battles upon the alien worlds."

"Surely not by humans?" Autel had always thought the humans were inferior in strength to the Sangheili.

"It must have been. I had heard they had created very powerful soldiers that could best ours. They were called..." Fira thought for a moment. "...'Spartans'. There are very few of them, but they have been known to be dangerous foes."

A voice was heard on the broadcast channel. "_All recruits, report to the training facility._"

"That is Bata 'Noromee," Fira said, stand up. "Come."

Autel followerd him down the hallways, and into the streets of _Stoic Courier_. Many other Sangheili were coming out of their dormitories and going in one direction: the training facility.


	3. The Veteran

**Time 7:47:49:85 (Accuracy 1/10 to that of Forerunner), eighteenth sunrise shift of the first month (Sanghelios Time Unit), 8th Age of Reclamation (Covenant Time Unit, based on Forerunner Time Unit)**

**0700 hours, December 16, 2548 (UNSC Military Calendar)**

**Location:** Covenant mobile military city _Stoic Courier_, in orbit around Sanghelios

•••

The training facility wasn't too far from the dormitories. There was a lot of flat ground, a few pools of water, and a short building in the middle of it.

A pair of Sangheili guards were posted at the doors, and as the recruits walked into the facility, Autel looked around. The grounds were bigger than five dormitories put together.

As more recruits entered and the grounds began to crowd, the plasma doors shut. A platform began to rise from the centre of the facility, and all eyes were drawn to it. Standing upon it was a gold-armoured Sangheili. Field Master Bata 'Noromee.

The warrior was a legend. He had many battle scars upon his body, and was missing fingers, mandibles, and was blind in one eye. He regarded them sternly.

"Recruits," 'Noromee said, "You have proven yourselves when you graduated from the Academy, and are ready to become a part of the Covenant. You will learn combat at one of _Stoic Courier_'s many training facilities, and you will do your absolute best to join the search for the Path. Find honour for yourselves and the Covenant, and when the Great Journey calls to you, you will ascend to holiness."

Autel couldn't help but think of what the Seer had said about the Great Journey as 'Noromee made his speech. But he kept listening.

The platform began to lower. "Your training begins now." The Field Master said. "Form lines and await your instructions."

As Autel stepped into line behind Fira, a group of Sangheili walked amongst them, handing out helmets and what looked like Plasma Rifles. Autel briefly thought back to what he learned from the Academy, but did not have any idea how to use the helmet. He put it on, but all it did was place a weight on his head.

"Here," Fira said, walking over. He had already figured out how to operate his own headpiece. He adjusted something on Autel's helmet. Something flashed on, and four diagonal lines appeared in the middle of his vision. It was a targeting reticle for his rifle.

Autel nodded. "Thank you."

'Noromee looked around to see that everyone was ready. He pressed something in his hand, and suddenly Autel saw hundreds of teal arrows displayed.

"Each of you have been marked with a red arrow," 'Noromee said, "That is your target. Everyone else has a blue arrow. Find your target, and tag him with your rifle. These are simulated rounds, but beware. Your target may not necessarily be your hunter. You can use only your rifles for this exercise. You are not to tag anyone else. Once you have been eliminated, your helmet will deactivate. Wait for the exercise to end on the field's far side. Begin."

The whine of plasma fire drowned out all sound as some found their targets immediately. Autel looked around for a red arrow, but it was difficult to see. He moved around, looking in all directions, but still all he could see was teal.

There! A red mark appeared momentarily before being covered by three blue points. Autel moved towards it, but realized it was merely a distant beacon light. Looking around, he still couldn't see it. Blue marks were beginning to disappear from the display as more recruits were eliminated.

Autel saw it this time. A red arrow. It was pointing at a Sangheili who was facing away, unawares. He raised his rifle, and was about to pull the trigger when a running Sangheili bumped into him, knocking him to the ground. As a second recruit ran after it, Autel stood up. His target was gone again.

Looking around again, he realized a recruit was pointing a rifle at him. Realizing he was being targeted, Autel ducked and ran through the crowd. He heard the sound of his hunter desperately firing at him, unintentionally tagging other recruits while doing so. He burst out of a crowd and spotted his target, and raised his rifle.

The recruit saw him. He raised his rifle at the same time and they both fired.

Autel's helmet registered the "shots" but did not deactivate. However, the other Sangheili removed his helmet and walked off.

Autel heard plasma firing behind him. His helmet's display flashed twice and deactivated. He removed the headpiece.

'Noromee walked over to the other recruit, with Autel's target following him. "Come," he said to them.

The Field Master gave the two Sangheili a long glare. "You were to tag your target _only_. You," he indicated Autel's target, "had attempted to fire upon your hunter, and you," he looked over to the other recruit, "had tagged seven Sangheili before you found your target. You have disobeyed me. Both of you are to leave _Stoic Courier_ immediately."

Autel noticed that there were other recruits whom were being escorted out of the training facility by the guards. As the two Sangheili joined them in shame, he approached 'Noromee.

"Well done, young one," the Field Master said.

"Forgive me, Excellency," Autel said, "But was that not overly severe? They were only recruits."

"A soldier," 'Noromee said sternly, "must know obedience from the start. That is no less for Sangheili. They had become desperate and reckless without commitment, and would tarnish our name. Our Covenant has remained powerful because of our strict laws, and so it shall remain."

Autel watched as the veteran walked off, and thought about his words. _If commitment had mattered so much to him,_ he thought, _Then why had he wasted so many lives of his troops during his campaigns?_


	4. An Undeserved Death

**Time 4:92:24:06 (Accuracy 1/10 to that of Forerunner), sixth sunrise shift of the fourteenth month (Sanghelios Time Unit), 9th Age of Reclamation (Covenant Time Unit, Based on Forerunner Time Unit)**

**0230 Hours, July 22, 2551 (UNSC Military Calendar)**

**Location:** Covenant mobile military city _Stoic Courier_, in orbit around Sanghelios moon Suban

•••

"You may be wondering why I have brought you here today," Bata 'Noromee said. "It is for a demonstration."

_Stoic Courier_'s had a single stadium. But if the training facilities were big, then the stadium was colossal. A Covenant frigate would probably fit in the arena itself and have room to move around.

Autel was seated in the front rows, watching the Mgalekgolo inside the arena moving restlessly. Fira, seated beside him, was looking at 'Noromee, who had not explained why they were not training today.

After the recruits' first day at the facility, it was not often that the Field Master would be training them. There were many other facilities he would oversee, and on other times, dealing with something in the main facility. 'Noromee had ended training early and announced that all recruits were to meet at the stadium today.

"Our fight against the humans have lasted for an entire Age," 'Noromee continued, "and we have killed their soldiers, destroyed their ships, and burned their planets without failure. We have done this out of our superiority in strength, numbers, and technology.  
"But, the humans are not all weak. We have fought with powerful, armoured ones during the ground battles. They have seemed impossible to kill, and have caused us many problems. I myself have witnessed this..." The Field Master's right hand twitched, the three fingers clenching.

"Spartans," Fira said.

"Early in the Age of Reclamation, hundreds of them have been called to protect the place the humans call 'Pegasi Delta'. We believe we have killed them all. We were mistaken. We have captured one of the humans that very same Age period. He has been kept prisoner and interrogated. As the human is of no more use to us, I have request that he be brought to _Stoic Courier_ for execution. And we shall all see just how powerful he is."

As the energy barrier in one of the arena's doorways deactivated, all recruits watched it. But nothing moved in the darkness.

"Why is he not escaping?" Autel asked. Fira was gazing at it with intent.

A Mgalekgolo pair slowly advanced on the doorway.

Something leaped out of the darkness, so quick it was a blur. It sidestepped the two Hunters and moved into the open.

One of the Mgalekgolo raised its plasma cannon and fired, but was too slow. The Spartan evaded it easily. As a second pair of Mgalekgolo tried to trap it, and the human moved quickly. One of the other Hunters had fired and accidentally wounded its bond brothers.

Randall imprisoned.

The Spartan closed in on the wounded Hunter, who raised its gigantic shield to crush his skull. The human's hands ripped into its exposed "belly", tearing out the worms in the Mgalekgolo. The alien groaned and died.

A Sangheili guard stood up with a Plasma Rifle, but 'Noromee held up a hand. "Sit." The guard hesitantly obeyed.

Autel could tell that the Spartan was becoming tired. It was obvious that he had only a fraction of his once-powerful strength, and signs of his decades of suffering was apparent upon his body. His face was gaunt, his pale skin was covered in scabs and plasma burns, and his clothing was stained with his strange crimson blood. On its front were the faded human characters **RANDALL-037**.

The Spartan moved to one of the stadium's secondary support columns, keeping his eyes on the Mgalekgolo. The relatively smaller tube's diameter was about as long as Autel's second thumb. Five Hunters advanced on the human, their weapons raised. As their plasma cannons charged up, the Spartan moved a split second before their weapons fired. The powerful criss-crossing beams half-melted the column. The human gripped it and pulled hard, ripping the column free.

The stadium stands did not even lurch as the larger primary support columns held it in place. But Autel could see that the Spartan had achieved its purpose: to gain a weapon.

The human soldier did not hesitate before charging the Mgalekgolo with the pole. He lashed out with it, the tip of the weapon white-hot. The blow caught the first Hunter in the "neck", bending the weakened metal. Autel could hear the eels screaming as they burned and shrivelled up.

A second Mgalekgolo attempted to ram the Spartan, who slid between its "legs" and thrusted upward, jamming the pole into its back. The massive alien collapsed, and the human pulled the weapon out.

He scanned the arena briefly, raised the pole, and thrust it hard into the third Mgalekgolo's neck area, decapitating it, and ran straight for Autel. The Spartan leaped, and managed to grab onto a low stand.

The young Sangehili froze, unsure of what to do. He was unarmed, and certain the alien was more than a match for him. 'Noromee had also ordered not to attack him. As the human strained and tried to raise himself up out of the arena, he made eye contact with Autel for a brief moment. He considered trying to push the alien back down, when the Spartan suddenly winced. One of the large scabs on his back had opened, staining his ragged clothing with fresh crimson blood. The human's grip weakened, and he fell to the arena floor.

Half a dozen Mgalekgolo were below him. They had not fired in case they would have harmed a Sangheili. As the alien attempted to stand up, one of the Hunters hit him hard in the side. The Spartan cried out in pain, and Autel winced as he heard bones breaking. The human was still trying to fight, raising a fist. A Hunter stepped on his wrist. The rest of the Mgalekgolo crowded around it, beating at the alien. Soon, the Spartan's agonized yells and movements stopped, and they shuffled off, leaving a limp and bloodied form on the ground.

'Noromee stood up. "As you can see," he said, "this human was extremely capable of killing. Even unarmed, weakened, and outnumbered, he managed to kill four Mgalekgolo. These particular aliens are extremely ruthless and efficient. The humans do not have long before their extinction, but it was because of these supersoldiers that they have managed to survive throughout the entire Age of Reclamation."

Fira was watching the Spartan's body without expression. However, Autel felt sickened. He had never seen a real human before, and although he knew the Prophets' claim of them as "heretics", he felt that the Spartan's death was wrong.

"You are dismissed," 'Noromee said, and the Sangehili began to stand up to leave.

Fira took one last look at the Spartan, and walked towards the exit. As Autel returned to the dormitory with him, he said, "So that is what had killed so many of my bloodline." What was it in his voice? Shock? Anger? Fear?

"Before his death," Autel said, "he had looked at me. I do not know why. I did not know what to do."

Fira paused. Finally, he said, "It matters not. He is dead."

They were at the very top level of _Stoic Courier_. From there, Autel could see Sanghelios in the distance, as well as _High Charity_ still in orbit around it. 'Noromee had brought the military city away from it and to its moon Suban instead. Autel had done many training sessions and operations on its surface with basic objectives and intelligence.

The Fleet of Particular Justice had departed on the very first day. Autel didn't think of Thel 'Vadamee for a while, or the Seer of Sanghelios. He looked down at the ring on his finger. _Keep it with you at all times,_ Thel had advised. Why had the Seer given this to him? It was beautiful, but Autel had no use for it.

He absentmindedly followed Fira down a gravlift and towards the dormitories. Autel bid Fira goodnight and entered his room. He took off his dented, scratched, and blackened training armour. The recruits all had a set for practice. It had no energy shields, but could disperse light to medium plasma shots. They trained with genuine military weapons and by the twenty-seventh month of the 9th Age of Reclamation, they would graduate and become part of the Covenant.

Autel wondered what he would do then. Fight against the humans, obviously, but could he? After what he saw today, he felt apprehensive. The Seer had once asked him if he could find a reason the Prophets decided to wage war on them. The young Sangheili had not found an answer, and now wondered why they had not been at least attempted to be converted into the Covenant.

_There is treachery among the Hierarchs...one who seeks power over the others...he will turn his back upon them..._

Which Prophet had the Seer spoken of? Once again Autel looked at his ring, but found no answers from it. Did they hide something about the humans no one else knew?

Autel sighed and lay down upon his bed. As he closed his eyes he remembered the look in Fira's eyes, and wondered if his friend would have the same doubts about killing a human.

* * *

**[Author's Note]**

I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. In the next chapter ("Assassinations"), Autel meets Jiralhanae for the first time in his life, and it won't be a very pleasant meeting. To find out what happens next, please go to www. halofanon. wikia /wiki/Vadam_Legacies:_The_Darkest_Hour (copy + paste, remove all spaces in the URL) to read the rest of this story, as well as the sequels.


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